Author: Hagop Kamalian

Ara Asoyan: The flu usually comes from Russia

Hagop Kamalian
  • 14:14 | December 22,2017 | Social
  • Հայ

Ara Asoyan, chief epidemiologist of the Republic of Armenia, says that this year the number of acute respiratory diseases is decreasing.

“No doctor can give exact numbers, as not all patients are registered. The real and registered number of patients are very different. We can only present the average comparison of those numbers. If compared with previous years, the picture of the illness is 2-3 times less this year, ” says Ara Asoyan.

This image the epidemiologist connects with a relatively warm winter. He also notes that the flu usually comes from Russia.

“After we hear that there is a flu, then in two or three weeks there is the same picture in Armenia. Acute respiratory illnesses in the regions are less common, as these diseases usually occur in densely populated cities, ” says the epidemiologist.

“Acute respiratory diseases are the most common in schools and since vacations are already coming, there will be no acute outbreaks in the next 2-3 weeks,” says Ara Asoyan.

Ara Asoyan adds that the Ministry of Health has brought a significant amount of vaccine against the flu and all the health care workers are vaccinated. Other Armenian citizens may also voluntarily be vaccinated against the flu.

Artsrun Hovhannisyan: Armenia is developing space intelligence

Hagop Kamalian 
ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
 Friday


 Artsrun Hovhannisyan: Armenia is developing space intelligence

Yerevan December 22

Naira Badalyan. The funds allocated by the Armenian government on the
eve, amounting 300 million AMD will be directed to the development of
space exploration assets. Artsrun Hovhannisyan, press secretary of the
Armenian Defense Ministry, told ArmInfo correspondent.

According to him, all other information is secret and not subject to publicity.

On the eve, the Cabinet of Ministers of Armenia made a decision that
from the reserve fund of the government about 300 million AMD will be
transferred to "Geokosmos". As stated in the certificate of
substantiation to the document, the company Geokosmos was founded on
November 16, 2017 by the decision of the Armenian government. "The
value of the property transferred to the authorized capital of
Geokosmos CJSC is set at 419 000 000 AMD, including 300 087 340 AMD in
cash, and 118 912 660 - property," the document says. The goal is to
provide the conditions for bringing into operation, upgrading and
operating the software and hardware complex of the Geokosmos CJSC.

The Armenian Case and European Judiciary: Beyond Statements

Hagop Kamalian

by The Armenian Mirror-Spectator

The Armenian Case and European Judiciary: Beyond Statements

By Philippe Raffi Kalfayan

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the judicial remedy for
Armenian claims has become familiar and reparation studies and
researches proliferate. The pan-Armenian political terminology
consecrated it. Various initiatives contributed to this process: the New
York Life and Axa Insurance settlements in 2004 and 2005. The most
recent attempt, with a good amount of publicity, is the Catholicosate of
Antelias’ claim for the restitution of Holy See properties of Sis
(Kozan), in Turkey, first before the Constitutional Court of Turkey and
afterwards before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The
application has been successively declared inadmissible by both courts
on the same grounds: the non-fulfilment of the rule imposing the
exhaustion of domestic judicial remedies.

One columnist reported the comments and interpretations of the
plaintiff and of one of his lawyers. I will not comment on their
assertions. However, I deem it is important for people on this side of
the Atlantic to better understand the features, rules and limits of the
European Court. Indeed, most Armenians perceive this rejection as
another judicial defeat; some see a kind of fatalism, others a plot or
evidence for the existence of corrupt powers, while others question the
skills of the legal team. But one must look beyond statements and biased
communication, with a view to play down the decision, balance certain
unhappy observations, and also recall some features and limits of the
ECHR. This will be my modest objective.

The rules of procedure do not depend on the political situation
in a country or the degree of respect for the rule of law. Presuming
that it is a loss of time and hopeless to go before the lower
jurisdictions and deciding instead to apply directly to the
Constitutional Court of Turkey has been the wrong move by numerous
plaintiffs in Turkey those last two years. The massive flow of arrests
or dismissals from posts in different circles because of their alleged
connections to Fettulah Gülen or to the PKK, all allegedly threaten the
national security or the government of the Republic of Turkey. The moves
have also created a back log of applications at Strasbourg, panicking
the Registry of the Court.

First, it must be recalled that the ECHR is not a supreme court
but a subsidiary court to national court systems, whose mandate is
limited to the application and interpretation of the European Convention
of Human Rights (“Convention”) signed by the 47 member-countries of the
Council of Europe. Individual applications must be grounded on alleged
violations of the Convention and of its protocols. The ECHR created a
real dynamic between the national courts and itself: pilot European
judgments pushed the national systems to make their laws compatible,
and, more, leading them to adopt amendments to their domestic laws by
necessity of compliance.

However, this virtuous cycle is
now over: the parties are now showing some political resistance and
asking for a wider margin of interpretation. Some countries have adopted
measures to restore their judicial sovereignty in order to not enforce
all judgments (Russia, Italy); others think about leaving the Convention
(Great Britain in the aftermath of Brexit). In general, a decision of a
foreign or international court cannot be enforced on the territory of a
state without the consent of its judicial or political authorities. The
ECHR judgments are legally binding but the Committee of Ministers of
the CoE, which monitors the enforcement of judgments, cannot take
measures of coercive nature. For an example, Turkey refused so far to
enforce the judgment in the interstate case Cyprus vs. Turkey (2014).

Second, since the alleged coup in July 2016, the Turkish Grand
National Assembly approved on July 21 a State of Emergency as
provisioned in its Constitution and informed the Council of Europe (CoE)
and the ECHR that measures taken may involve derogation from its
obligations under the Convention, as allowed in Article 15. The
declaration has since been renewed every three months and approved by
the Committee of Ministers of the CoE.

Third, Turkey has been the best “client” of the ECHR since 1959,
and they have developed a working relationship with the court. Turkey
contributes 10 percent of the total budget of the ECHR. The economic
factor is far from marginal in this relationship. Moreover, of the
ECHR’s 672 Registry staff members, 44 are Turkish nationals. The ECHR
actually fears a withdrawal of Turkey from its system.

As far as admissibility of cases is concerned, the filter is
composed of one judge, when it concerns the rule of procedure, or by a
committee of three judges or a Chamber, when it concerns the merits. The
procedural admissibility is very formal, and the exhaustion of domestic
remedies is the first fundamental criteria. There may be special
circumstances dispensing the applicant from the obligation to avail
himself or herself of the domestic remedies available. One such factor
may be that of national authorities remaining totally passive in the
face of serious allegations of misconduct or infliction of harm by state
agents, for example where they have failed to undertake investigations
or offer assistance. On the contrary, mere doubts on the part
of the applicant regarding the effectiveness of a particular remedy will
not absolve him or her from the obligation to try it (cf. ECHR Practical Guide on Admissibility Criteria). The alleged political considerations or “deals” don’t intervene at this stage.

In 2016, 36,579 applications were declared inadmissible, among
which the single-judge formation accounted for 30,998 cases. As regards
Turkey, there has been an enormous flow of individual applications in
2017: 16,851 have been declared inadmissible by a single judge for
procedural reasons. Thus, the Sis properties’ case was a mere drop in
the ocean.

Beyond the political chaos in Turkey, one must admit that the
substantiation of Antelias application, whatever creative and complex
the engineering is, arrives at an impasse in Turkey and in Strasbourg.
On the one side, the Constitutional Court admits cases related to facts
that occurred after 2012 (date of the institution of individual
complaints mechanism), and on the other, the legal team’s reasoning
implies the interpretation of the Treaty of Lausanne into Turkish law
(only a national court can do that), before claiming the alleged
violation of right to property in light of the Convention’s First
Protocol. If the first stage is not completed, one could hardly imagine
the ECHR accepting to review such a case, where it involves an
interpretation of Turkish laws. It was tempting to give it a try and
force its fate at ECHR to gain time. But this is not a race.


People: Raffi Kalfayan

The road to justice for the historical
crimes committed against the Armenians will be long and is full of
pitfalls, mainly due to the elapsed time, the articulation of different
bodies of laws, and the negative attitude of Turkey. The announcement of
diverse Armenian initiatives indicates that the Armenian Party is on
the right track, and the continuous impulse and leadership of spiritual
and mainstream institutions will help. However, it does not serve the
case to entertain false hopes and to voice exaggerate comments on the
altar of communication.

(Philippe Raffi Kalfayan, a resident of Paris, France, is a lawyer and accredited expert of the Council of Europe since 2003.)

World Vision Taiwan calls for action to address poverty in Armenia, Bosnia, and Romania

Hagop Kamalian
Taiwan News
Nov 27 2017


By Duncan DeAeth,Taiwan News, Staff Writer
2017/11/27 13:21

Speaker at the World Vision Taiwan forum on Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Armenia (Image courtesy of World Vision Taiwan)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Many kids love winter, enjoy outdoor winter activities, and hope for Christmas gifts, but not to the children living in some areas of Armenia, Bosnia, and Romania, as their parents manage to build fire to help them survive freezing winters, said people with a relief organization recently at a forum in Taipei.  

The World Vision Taiwan organization hosted a forum with guests from three different countries on Sunday, Nov. 26 to rally support for assistance programs to serve struggling families and children living in poverty.

Representatives of the relief organization from Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Armenia came to Taiwan to discuss the difficult conditions of poverty stricken people, especially the risks and challenges such communities face during the harsh winters in the region.

The representatives outlined the current situation and strategies to address the chronic poverty and malnourishment in the poorest regions of their country.

Bosnia

In the case of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Livelihood and Resilience Tech., the non-profit organization worker Almir Zulic discussed the problem of limited fuel sources to heat non-insulated homes in Bosnian winters that can reach -20, even -30 degrees Celsius.

The team there aims to create a wood pellet production line, which will produce the relatively less expensive fuel source for communities. Increased availability of fuel for heating homes will allow families to save funds that would otherwise be spent entirely on wood, a crucial resource that is quickly becoming too expensive for many in the country.

The wood pellet production line will provide work for some youth employees, and a model for other villages and community organizations. The country's WV Communication Officer Nejra Baltes explained that youth unemployment in Bosnia-Herzegovina is at a staggering 65 percent for people ages 18 to 30. The country’s infrastructure has been extremely troubled since the early 1990s when the region suffered heavily in its conflict with neighbor Serbia.

The goal is to help communities help themselves by establishing sustainable ventures and small business models to create employment opportunities, and cultivate a more hopeful outlook for the future of the country.

Forum guests learn about the issues in the region (Image courtesy of World Vision Taiwan)

Armenia

Armenia is a country where poverty has been on the rise over the past decade, and over 50,000 people live in extreme poverty on less than US$ 50 every month.

The Armenia team is especially concerned about the number of struggling single parent families, and the number of children in orphanages or behavioral institutes in the country, where infrastructure for childcare falls below the average for European countries. Armenia ranks the 3rd highest in the world for prenatal selection, where preference for male children puts female babies at particular risk, especially in poor communities.

There are 15 communities in Armenia that are especially isolated during winter with little possibility for outside assistance. The Manager from Armenia's Aparan region Tamara Babakadze explained that most homes in these areas are built of stone and poorly insulated which contributes to high malnutrition in poor households that lack an adequate supply of hot water or proper winter wear.

The organization also hopes to introduce solar panels to there, and train a local workforce in their maintenance and installation. Armenia has around 300 sunny days a year, and solar panels will contribute to job production, and create energy stores that will help families stay warm in the winter.

In addition to their support for families during the winter each year, the WV Armenia Program Director Zhiayr outlined the organization's strategy to develop youth education programs as well as programs that provide support and educational courses for young parents.

The aim is not simply to assist individuals on single occasions of hardship, but rather to uplift and enrich families and communities through education and training to improve shared economic prospects for entire regions.

Romania

Romania is country that recently joined the EU, however it still suffers from very serious wealth disparity between urban and rural areas. The common European market has resulted in higher priced goods, while wages have remained stagnant throughout the country.

WV Romania is especially concerned about the poverty stricken communities in the Ural mountain region, which are reliant on small clay stones to heat often poorly constructed and poorly insulated homes. Project Coordinator and Social Work Specialist for the Vaslui region, Roberta Tuduri described the difficult and discouraging situation for many children in the region, where one in eight is likely to only eat one meal a day, and one in five will never finish secondary school.

The Operations Director for Romania Cristina Balanescu examined the obstacles and needs of families and communities in the Ural region. They hope to improve a network of cooperation and communication throughout the region to teach better home insulation techniques, as well as provide wood to heat homes and clothing to keep children warm in the winters that are regularly -15 to -20 degrees Celsius.

As has been observed in many communities, poverty creates a cycle of economic struggle, which in turns contributes to neglected education and increased health issues. Poorly educated communities with little economic prospects are then even more likely to continue sliding deeper into poverty.

The representatives have been in Taipei for a week to consult with their counterparts in Taiwan, to devise cooperative strategies for the best way that World Vision and the people of Taiwan can help at-risk populations in the three countries. The sharing session and forum was organized by a Taiwanese philanthropist Mr. Chen, who began sponsoring an Armenian child, four years ago, and has become more involved in the effort to help as many people in the region as possible.

World Vision is a relief, development and advocacy organizations that assists struggling families and children to overcome poverty and suffering throughout the world.

If you would like to assist children and families in Armenia, Bosnia-Herzegovnia, or Romania, by making a donation, offering your assistance, or sponsoring a child in need, more information is available on the main World Vision website (Eng), or the site of World Vision Taiwan (CHI).

World Vision representatives and forum attendees (Image courtesy of World Vision Taiwan)